"freak canoe accident " ???

A bit more information from the local newspaper.
http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view...anoe-tragedy-update--?instance=homesecondleft

And a current update on what is now a recovery operation.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jan/19/creek-search-continues/

The missing man is 36 years old and the two missing children are 6 and 7. I looked at the river and stream levels that day and did not consider a canoe trip. My local river was at 9.5 feet on the USGS guage whereas in it usually 2 feet or less. And I have airbags and good PFDs. Even if I had gone and taken another person, it would have only been an adult and not children.
 
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i dont live far from there and i can tell you the water was crazy high and really pushy . it was not a good day to be on the water .
 
You have a right to be stupid.
Too bad it cost lives. Looks a lot like the man and his sons on that freezing trail.

Edit to add: on another thread, a post by steelhog had this signature line:
There are lots of stupid people in this world, all you can do is not be one of them.
 
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Saw an article a couple years ago after the Japan tsunami about our local victim. It had a sentence that said something like "...went down to the beach to take pictures of the tsunami and was surprised by a large wave...". The wording seemed ridiculous. Sounds like like similar journalistic hyperbole (may not be the right word, but hey, I am not a journalist!).
 
Very sad indeed.They are in God's hands.

Strict canoe control laws should be proposed;sales of canoes to the stupid prohibited.
 
I can only guess, but from some of the first pictures I saw of searchers, the creek was well out of it's banks. Adjacent farm fields looked like lakes. I'm pretty sure this is what lured them to their unwise little adventure. The current in the fields did not appear particularly strong or fast. Very deceptive.

Still no update on the recovery success. I know several of the TWRA officers involved in the search and some of the cadaver K-9 unit handlers. I am sure they are doing the best that can be done. But water remains high still. And Canosauga Creek is full of strainers that can trap and hold bodies until the water receeds. My local canoe stream which had peaked at over 11' on the guage is now just back down to 4'. 1.5' is average flow.
 
Codger_64 said:
I know several of the TWRA officers involved in the search and some of the cadaver K-9 unit handlers.
Click to expand...


What a depressing job. I really respect people who will put out this kind of effort. I'm sure the families appreciate it.
 
I've discussed it with Keith several times. He makes a dozen or so of these events a year (usually local but also statewide... this is between Knoxville and Chattanooga on the other end of the State). Most are successful recoveries. A few not. He is due retirement and his job is really wildlife cop. But he has recognized skills in tracking and water search. I worked SAR for some years but didn't have the disposition for it. Luckily, most of the events I participated in (I had bloodhounds) were succesful rescues, not recoveries.
 
I have friends in Arkansas who are hitting the creeks and rivers regularly now since this rain and cold came through. They are reveling in it with creek and river running where there is normally not sufficient water for runs. But they are skilled and prepared. They travel in groups with rescue skills and gear, cold weather submersion gear, and boat handling skills.

[video=youtube;hhCAufD4OcQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhCAufD4OcQ[/video]
 
Cool! Cold, in fact. I can see they are having fun.

We have a small lake near me. We get boaters and kayakers. I've seen older guys teaching kayaking skills to the younger ones. One day, two kayaks crossed the lake as one of our Park Rangers was coming up the trail, stopped to say hello, then we saw the kids. She waved them over and she told them they had to go back to the boat slip and leave the water -- no PFDs!

It was funny, they looked embarrassed. Obviously, they had been taught better, just slipped up.
 
PFDs goes without saying, especially when the weather is cold, most especially when the water is too. Also note these guys wearing helmets. I've done WW rescue in the spring when the air was in the mid seventies but the water was in the mid to high 40's. Every instance was with people who were improperly prepared with the right equipment and skills. They were all better suited to class 1 water in mid summer when the air is warm and the water is cool, but not cold. In fact, of those who had any prior experience at all, it was likely just under those circumstances. It is only a guess of course, but I would venture to say that those missing boaters were not wearing PFDs at all. Cold water submersion can render even a strong swimmer helpless in little time. In this state, PFDs are required to be in the boat but not required to be worn. I am guilty of this in warm weather on class I and II streams and rivers. But not in cold weather. And not in class II+ water at any time of the year.

ngf9v.jpg
 
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